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In the last article we'd the Sacred Record reveals that God had reminded Jacob of an early vow, that he had made to Him, back when Jacob was on the run from his older brother Esau: "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my fathers house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." -- (Genesis 28:20-22)
Now after God had reminded Jacob of his forgotten vow, the Lord would further instruct Jacob, on what he needed to do next: "Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau." -- Genesis 35:1 So Jacob would do as he was instructed, for he did go up to Bethel in order to settle there, and upon doing so, he'd built an altar and made a sacrifice unto the Most High.
However that may have been, we now move forward. And it's at this time that the Sacred Record reveals that the people who had been close to Jacob all his life, would begin to pass away? But before we go further, first, let's take a quick look at some things that weren't included in the Sacred Record? For starters, know that it's by this time, that it's quite possible, that Jacob's mother Rebekah had already passed. Understand that this viewpoint, is based on the fact, that Rebekah's nurse Deborah, had passed when she was in service to Jacob's household -- instead of Jacob's father Isaac. It's also presumed, that Deborah had came to live with Jacob after Rebekah's passing -- so that she could be of help with Jacob's new family. Remember that Deborah had been with the family of Abraham for a long time, and on top of this, she was known as a person of piety and prudence. For she provided Isaac and Jacob's households with great wisdom and counsel, when it came to the raising of their family. And because of this, her services were made to be valuable and irreplaceable. So therefore when she'd died, those who knew her, wept and mourned her death greatly. This is why Jacob would bury her under the oak, in which he called it "Allon-bacuth" which signifies "the oak of weeping."
Nonetheless, after this had taken place, God would appear and reaffirm his covenant with Jacob. Know that the Lord would do this by reminding Jacob about the new name that He had given him. For he would no longer be known as Jacob, and it's from this point forward, he would be known as Israel. For it was a name, which signified "A prince with God" : "After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.' So he named him Israel." -- Genesis 35:9,10 Now remember, when God had first did this, it was done after Jacob had wrestled with an angel throughout the night. And it would be at this time, that the angel would voluntarily submit to Jacob. Know that this was done, in order to encourage Jacob, to face his fears -- when it came to him meeting his brother Esau, after twenty long years.
Now it's at this time, that God would remind Jacob of his name change. And God does this in order to encourage Jacob, to face his fear, when it came to running into the Canaanites. Nonetheless, after God had departed from him, Jacob would erect a pillar in honor of the Lord. Jacob would do this, by pouring a wine drink offering on it, followed by the pouring of oil. Now some twenty years before, in this very same place, Jacob had already made a pillar in honor of the Almighty. And now that he was once again in the same place, it's possible that he could have repaired the altar that he had made some twenty years before? Or he could have erected a new one, as the Scared Record would seem to suggest. I mean after all, things are slightly different with this new confirmation, being that his name had been changed from Jacob to Israel. Know that Jacob didn't have that honor the last time he was at Bethel.
However that may have been, we find that afterwards, Jacob would move his family from Bethel, and he'd started heading towards Ephrath (Bethlehem). Now during this particular journey, we are informed that Jacob's beloved wife Rachel was found to be with child. Understand that this wasn't an ordinary pregnancy for Rachel this time around, for her pains were considered to be fierce and violent and because of this, she had to endure a very hard labor of childbirth. Now Rachel's midwife tried to encourage her, by reminding Rachel about the vow she had made sometime back, after giving birth to her first child Joseph: "Don't be afraid for you should have another son." The midwife had proclaimed. Remember that Rachel had long desired to have kids of her own, and after some time had passed, God had finally blessed her with a child of her own. She named this child Joseph. Now we find that God has opened her womb once again, and she'll give birth to another child, in which she named Ben-oni, which meant "the son of my sorrows." Know that this child was named as such, because Rachel had a very difficult childbirth with him. But later on, Jacob would eventually change his name to Benjamin, which signified -- "the son of my right hand."
But this special moment in time for Jacob and Rachel, would unfortunately end in a great tragedy? For the Sacred Record would reveal, that Rachel had died while giving birth to Ben-oni. Know that she died during childbirth, and because of this, she needed to be buried quickly. Now this would lead to Jacob burying her on the road to Ephrath (Bethlehem), and it's at this time, Jacob would erect a pillar over Rachel's grave in her honor.
Now after this horrific event, Jacob would move on again, and this time he'd settled about a thousand paces from Ephrath (Bethlehem), at a place that was known as "The Tower of Edar" or "The Tower of the Flock." And it would be at this time, that Jacob's oldest son Reuben, would commit the sinful act of sleeping with his father's wife Bilhah. Now because of his actions, Reuben would lose his birthright, and the blessing that he was entitled to, under the Abrahamic Covenant: "Reuben, you are my first born, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it." -- (Genesis 49:3-4)
Now it's at this time, that the Sacred Record informs us that Jacob's father Issac had passed away, at the age of 180. Understand that this would make him the longest living patriarch from out of the three, since Abraham had died at the age of 175 and Jacob would eventually live to reach the age of 147. Now I would like to point out at this time, that although God's Word has recorded Issac's death at this point in time -- know that his actual death wouldn't happen until many years later. Actually, it wouldn't happen until after Joseph (his grandson) had been betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers. More on that, at a much later date. And even though Isaac's death has not actually happened yet, know that I personally feel, that it's very important information to know. Many times, people make the claims that the Bible contradicts itself -- when in fact, their "contradiction arguments" are caused, because they ignore the time-lines, or they simply don't know... or they do know, and they have given themselves over to doing everything in their power, to stand against the Word of God.
In the next article we will take a quick peek at the "Descendants of Esau." Yeah I know, but all things must be consumed when you're reading the Word of God. Just like his glorious creation, everything about it is simply - Marvelous.
The Sons of God - The Daughters of Men Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES - WOULD BE HERE**
56) Rachel the Thief 57) Jacob's Mistake 58) Laban's Pursuit 62) The Reconciliation of Jacob & Esau 63) Dinah the Daughter of Israel 66) <-CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE - PAGE->
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